Satou here. They say necessity is the mother of invention, but you still need to understand the basics of what you’re trying to do in order to turn an idea into reality. I think the father of invention is consistent day-to-day effort.
After the potion debacle with the witch of the Forest of Illusions and the viceroy’s aide, our new friends saw us off as we departed Sedum City.
The younger four girls sat in the back of the horse-drawn carriage, waving an emotional good-bye to the people shrinking in the distance as they returned the gesture.
I left the younger set to their business and checked in on Lulu, our driver, at the coachman stand.
Since Liza and Nana were riding on horseback, I couldn’t see them from inside the carriage.
“Master, there will be a good deal of pedestrian traffic heading to and from the gate for a while, so I think we should take it slow.”
“Sure. Drive safely.”
Lulu spoke in a soft voice from the front of the carriage, her glossy black hair, light-blue dress, and warm-looking white shawl rippling in the breeze.
She was considered ugly by the aesthetic standards of this world, but from my point of view, she was more beautiful than any celebrity.
“Master, Nana and I shall lead the way.”
I turned toward the voice and met Liza’s dignified gaze.
“Make sure you give pedestrians the right of way.”
“Understood.”
The new leather armor I’d tailored for her in Sedum City and her traveler’s overcoat obscured most of Liza’s orange scales, a characteristic of her Scalefolk tribe. At most, I could catch a glimpse of her tail.
Her trademark black spear was evil-looking enough to draw attention, so she usually kept it wrapped in cloth. I’d improvised the weapon out of monster parts in the labyrinth beneath Seiryuu City back when I saved her.
It wasn’t any stronger than an ordinary steel spear, but since Liza seemed to treasure it, I didn’t try to stop her from using it.
Following a little behind Liza was Nana, a homunculus with a long blond ponytail.
She was wearing the same leather armor as Liza, but her ample chest was straining against it. Unlike Liza, she wasn’t wearing a helmet, so her beautiful but expressionless features were exposed to the sunlight.
“Nana, don’t try to let the horse take care of things. Don’t force it.”
“Master, your instructions have been registered, I report.”
I gave some directions to Nana, who was still unskilled at horseback riding, and she responded in her usual robotic manner.
Without instruction from Nana, the horse moved to follow Liza in front of us.
“Satou.”
Mia the elf emerged from the back of the carriage, waving a hand at me.
Her pale blue-green hair was tied into two long pigtails, and her pointed ears peeked out from behind them.
Since their kind didn’t show themselves to humans very often, she usually hid her hair and ears under a hood to avoid any trouble.
Her short lime-green dress suited her childish appearance, and due to the chilly weather, she was wearing tights and a cardigan that matched Arisa’s.
“Licorice.”
As usual, the reticent Mia spoke to me in a single word.
She probably meant she wanted some thorn licorice as a snack.
I took out a jar from the Garage Bag, a magic tool that could hold far more than it appeared. When I opened the lid, a subtle, sweet scent wafted out.
I stuck a toothpick into a piece of the aloe-like, emerald-green substance inside and handed it to her.
“Aaah.”
Mia opened her small mouth demandingly, so I went ahead and fed the thorn licorice to her.
“Yum.” Mia smiled happily and put a hand to her cheek.
Given her appearance, it was hard to believe she was actually far older than me.
“Smells sweeeeet!”
“Like licorice, sir!”
Sniffing at the sugary aroma, Tama and Pochi hopped up from the back of the carriage.
Tama, with her pointy, furry ears and short white hair, rubbed her head against my hand like a real cat. She was a member of a rare race of cat-eared folk.
Pochi sat up eagerly, giving me puppy-dog eyes to match her dog ears and brown bob cut. Her tail mirrored her excited expression by wagging side to side.
She was from a race called the dog-eared folk, a rare presence in the Shiga Kingdom like the cat-eared folk.
Both of them were wearing their usual white shirts and poufy shorts. The outfits matched, except Pochi’s shorts were yellow, while Tama’s were pink. Their overcoats were the same color as their pants.
“Wait just a minute, all right? I’ll give you some, too.”
“’kaaay!”
“Yes, sir.”
Tama sat next to Pochi, and they waited patiently together.
For elementary school–age girls, they have great judgment and manners.
I poked more toothpicks into the licorice and held out the jar to them.
“Aaah?”
“Aaah, sir.”
The two of them opened their mouths like baby birds in an imitation of Mia’s behavior, so I popped a piece of licorice into each of their mouths.
“Deliiish!”
“It’s so sweet, sir. Pochi’s happy, sir!”
Tama clamped the licorice between her teeth and stretched it, while Pochi expressed her joy by waving her hands and tail.
“Do you want some, too, Lulu?”